Valtellina Superiore Inferno 2004
Conti Sertoli Salis’ 100% Nebbiolo Inferno comes from the renowned subzone of the same name. The smallest subzone within the Valtellina Superiore DOCG is so-called for its warm micro-climate. From the steep sub-alpine slopes, the juice is aged for 12 to 18 months in barrels of Slavonian oak. Conti Sertoli Salis has some choice blocks in the Inferno zone and, using their natural advantage, produce one of the richest and most aromatic Valtalinnas we have had the pleasure to try.

Conti Sertoli Salis
The sub-alpine valley known as Valtellina has long drawn interest from wine drinkers. Leonardo da Vinci even spoke of its winemaking potential in his Codice Atlantico. Today, the Valtellina Superiore DOCG produces some of Lombardia’s most prestigious wines. It is here, in the town of Tirano in the province of Sondrio, not many miles from the Swiss border, that we find Conti Sertoli Salis, a noble family which has been bottling wine since 1869. The company’s cellars are still located beneath the Palazzo Salis, the family’s 17th century palace which is one of Tirano’s most popular tourist attractions.

Built between 1630 and 1690, the Palazzo Salis still houses the winery's cellars.

Domenico Valentino is excited to announce the arrival of new vintages of two of our finest white wines from Northern Italy. From Conti Sertoli Salis in Lombardy comes the 2007 Chiavennasca, an opulent wine made from a clone of Nebbiolo, while Friulan producer Ronco dei Tassi presents the latest vintage of the award-winning Fosarin.

Both of these wines will be available for tasting by appointment next week. If you wish to arrange a tasting, please call 718-902-1140 or email info@domenicovalentino.

Our full portfolio is available at DomenicoValentino.com. And don’t forget our Fall Portfolio Tasting on September 15th! Scroll down for more details.

Chiavennasca 2007 Conti Sertoli Salis

Chiavennasca is the local name for a clone of Nebbiolo grown almost exclusively in the northern Italian region of Lombardia. The winemaker at Conti Sertoli Salis creates this opulent white wine by vinifying the grapes without skin contact during maceration, thus preventing color from being imparted to the wine. The resulting wine retains the nobility of the Nebbiolo grape but is fresh and clean on the palate.

Wines vinified “in bianco” or “in white” have been made in Lombardia for as long as anyone can remember and represent a connection to ancient winemaking techniques Indeed, in antiquity, all wines were vinified “in bianco” in order to avoid bacteria present on the skins of the grapes after harvest.

Fosarin 2007 Ronco dei Tassi

Ronco dei Tassi is an artisanal producer located in the heart of the Collio Goriziano appellation of Friuli in north-eastern Italy. Here, just a few kilometers from the Slovenian border, the sandy subsoil is ideal for the cultivation of both indigenous and international grape varieties. The estate was founded in 1989 by Fabio Coser, who has since gained recognition as one of the area’s leading winemakers. His award-winning wines are characterized by their balance. The name Ronco dei Tassi means “hilltop of the badgers”, as pictured on the wines’ labels.

The company’s flagship wine blends barrel-fermented Pinot Bianco with stainless steel-vinified Friulano and Malvasia Istriana to produce a medium-to-full-bodied white with a creamy palate and luscious acidity. Fosarin is a three-time Tre Bicchieri winner at Gambero Rosso‘s annual Guide to Italian Wines and won “White Wine of the Year” in 2006.

Great selections for summer from Count Kuenburg and the team at Castel Sallegg. Grapes are sourced from some of the finest sites on the slopes above Lago di Caldaro.

2007 Lagrein Rosé Screwcap

2007 Pinot Bianco Screwcap & Cork

2007 Schiava Bischofsleiten

2007 Moscato Giallo

Gualandi

Natural wines from a Renaissance Man!

Archaeologist, painter, musician and wine-maker, Guido Gualandi is a true Renaissance Man, and one of the most interesting producers to emerge from the Montespertoli subzone of Chianti in recent memory. All of Guido’s wines are made using 100% natural vinification: no herbicides or pesticides are used in the vineyard, only organic fertilizers are used.

2007 Rosato

2006 Galante

2005 Cavalleresco

2005 Gualandus

Conti Sertoli Salis

Prime sites help produce great wine!That the Salis family first bottled wine in 1869 tells us they had an unusual commitment to quality and an unwavering confidence in the potential of their land. Producers at the time seldom chose to meet the expense of such a labor-intensive process, prefering instead to store and ship wine in cask or demijohn. Today Conti Sertoli Salis continues to make superb examples of Valtellina Sforzato and Superiore using the local Chiavennasca, a type of Nebbiolo that has been cultivated in sub-Alpine Lombardia for generations.

2006 Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo vinified white)

2004 Valtellina Superiore Sassella

2003 Valtellina Sforzato Canua

Orsolani

Canavese Rosato in limited supply!

Gian Luigi is the fourth-generation Orsolani to commit to Erbaluce, the Piedmontese variety known for its luscious acidity and grass-and-melon perfume. The family is also one of only three commercial producers of the rare Nebbiolo-based Carema, a wine named for a lovely sub-Alpine village where the vines are grown a pergola on terraces carved into a steep south-facing slope. This year, in addition to his usual line-up, Orsolani has produced a limited quantity of Canavese Rosato.